Monday, November 05, 2007

New Delhi, Nov 04: Concerned over continuing incidents of ragging despite a Supreme Court ruling which requires educational institutions to file an FIR against those indulging in the offence, the UGC now wants to make anti-ragging measures binding on the learning centres.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) will suggest that the government give it more teeth to implement the anti-ragging measures in "letter and spirit" by bringing in a regulation.

"The Supreme Court has already directed that institutes must take necessary measures to curb the cases of ragging. We have also recommended adequate measures to be taken by the institutions. But many institutes do not seem to be following the recommendations because of lack of any regulation," UGC Secretary T R Kem said.

"That is the reason we will propose to the government to have a regulation in place which will make the anti-ragging measures binding on the colleges and universities," he said.

The HRD Ministry, following the Supreme Court directive, had set up a seven-member committee headed by former CBI Director R K Raghavan to recommend anti-ragging measures.

The committee proposed to include ragging as a special section under the Indian Penal Code.

"The committee's recommendations have legal validity. But then there are colleges which tend to ignore them," Kem said.